Keywords Flashcards
What is primary data
This is when sociologists collect their own data for their own purposes
Secondary data
Sociologists use someone else’s data for their own use
What is quantitative data
Information that is in numerical form
What is qualitative data
This is written data
Positivists
Prefer quantitative data
Sociology is a science
Want to discover patterns of behavior
Interpretivists
Prefer qualitative data
Sociology is not scientific
Want to understand social meaning
Types of practical factors
Time and money
Requirements of funding bodies
Personal skills and characteristics
Subject matter
Research opportunity
Types of ethical factors
Informed consent
Confidentiality and privacy
Harm to participants
Vulnerable groups
Covert research
Types of theoretical factors
Validity
Reliability
Representativeness
Random sampling
Randomly selecting participants e.g pick a name out of a hat
Quasi-random sample
Choose every nth name. Still random but not everyone has a chance of being selected
Stratified random sampling
When you split samples into smaller groups
Quota sampling
Researchers create a sample involving individuals that represent part of a population
Snowball sampling
Existing participants recruit other future subjects. E. G ask family
Opportunity sampling
Researches pick members based on their availability. E. G someone standing on a street
